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From burden to asset – Supporting refugee youth with technical and vocational education and training ( TVET) and its impact on labor market access & economic integration of refugees and on community and national economies. ( Working title)
Systematic Literature Review of existing evidence
The research report is jointly commissioned by Finn Church Aid, GIZ, ILO and UNHCR to be launched in connection to the Global Refugee Forum in December 2023.
Technical and vocational education and training encompasses skills development relating to a wide range of occupational fields, production, services and livelihoods. TVET is not limited to children and youth but includes professional development, upskilling and reskilling of adults. The inclusion of refugee youth in formal, nationally accredited skills training and diploma courses can provide young people with safe learning spaces, contribute to social cohesion and foster greater self-reliance.
Global Compact on Refugees adopted in the Global Refugee Forum 2019 specifies technical and vocational education and training as a key factor for economic integration. This includes recognizing and strengthening the existing skills, qualifications and expertise of the refugees, assessing needs of the local labor market and developing skills profiles. ( Paras 69, 71 and 99)
At the Global Refugee Forum in 2019, 26 pledges, including from 10 States, focused on expanding and enhancing refugee access to TVET. Interventions to improve the skills and employability of refugees and their host communities facilitate the transition from education to the world of decent work, allowing refugees and displaced people to provide for their families’ needs while making use of their skills and talents to contribute to their host communities.
Finn Church Aid, GIZ, ILO and UNHCR begun the cooperation on Refugee TVET by organizing a TVET roundtable in 2019 before the GRF2019 and then a side-event in the GRF itself.
To foster scale-up of evidence-based strategies for inclusion of refugees in TVET, the partners published a joint study “Skills and labour market transitions for refugees and host communities”. The study identified field-tested models that can inform scale up or new initiatives to expand inclusion of refugees in nationally accredited TVET programmes. The study covers TVET programmes in Ethiopia, Jordan, Kenya, Uganda and Sudan and was launched in Transforming Education Summit in New York in September 2022.
The partners are continuing the work to ensure refugee access to TVET programming and labor market in host countries.
Overview of the evidence on how financial and policy investments in refugee technical and vocational training and education impact the economic status of individuals, families, communities ( refugee or host) and contribute to national economies in host countries.
1. What is the existing argumentation on Refugee TVET’s economic impact?
2. . How reliable and valid is the existing evidence? How rigorous is the methodology used?
3. According to existing evidence, what are the factors/variables behind transition to employment of TVET program participants?
4. Based on the existing evidence, where are the gaps of information and what study methodologies are recommended for replication?
The consultant will conduct a systematic literature review of existing research on economic impact of TVET-programming in different contexts.
PRISMA Systematic Review guidelines should be applied to the fullest degree possible. http://www.prisma-statement.org/
1. The consultant will gather initial bibliography related to refugee TVET through identification of core literature, systematic database search and snowballing. ( An initial bibliography to start with will be provided by the TVET partners.)
The materials to be included in the review:
Type of materials (in order of priority):
o Academic Research Papers / Journal Articles ( peer reviewed)
o Commissioned studies and reports by governments, UN organizations or NGOs
o Case Studies
o Evaluations and impact assessments of TVET projects or programs
o ( Final reports of TVET projects or programs )
Selection Criteria for materials
o Materials published after 2010
o Materials published in English
o Materials linking refugee TVET to Labor Integration and economic impact.
o Materials focusing on low and middle income countries to be prioritized.
The Search Strategy
o Publication databases of relevant UN agencies and NGOs
o Academic databases
o Snowballing through reference lists
2. The consultant will systematically review the above-mentioned types of literature and filter content that describes cause and effect relationship between refugee TVET interventions and labor integration and economic impact on individual, family, community or national economy.
3. The consultant will extract and categorize data from selected content, including study design, sample size, methodology, results and conclusions. / see #5 below.
4. The consultant will evaluate the methodological rigor of the studies as well as validity and reliability of the conclusions and results.
5. From the reviewed materials, the consultant will identify both programmatic and contextual factors of TVET interventions that have been contributed to cause positive or negative economic impact.
Hypothetically these factors may include, but not be limited to:
- Integrating the perspectives of refugee communities in the planning, design and implementation of TVET programmes;
- Existing legal framework governing refugee integration and opportunities
- Accreditation of TVET programs
- Linking of curriculum to the labor market needs
- Linking TVET activities to private sector/employers
- Support services to participants
- Participants’ pre-existing capacities and coping mechanisms.
- Participants’ pre-existing economic status
- Demographics of participant profiles & inclusion, including host-community participation
- Attitudes around the value of TVET as a viable post-secondary education option; ensuring aligning TVET programmes to local, regional and international labour market demands.
- Availability of/access to work in formal and informal sector and mobility between the sectors.
- Labor market segregation by ethnicity or other factors.
6. The consultant will identify limitations and gaps in the existing research. This will include thematic gaps, but also limitations relating to evidentiary value/ credibility of the findings
7. The consultant will form recommendations for
a) types/components of TVET programming with proven wider positive economic impact
b) further research to address gaps
c) research models that can be applied/adjusted/ replicated in different contexts.
d) policy messages based on the evidence recovered from the reviewed literature.
(Dates tentative and may be slightly adjusted with the selected consultant.)
1. List of materials to be reviewed and inclusion & exclusion criteria ( by 3.7.2023 ) with feedback session.
2. 1st Draft Report ( by 18.09.2023. ) with feedback session ( remote)
3. 2nd Draft Report ( by 15.10.2023) with feedback session (remote)
4. Final Report ( by 30.10.2023) including a briefing session for partners ( remote)
Please submit your technical and financial proposal along with your CV no later than 11.06.2023 to (Email at Apply Button) with the subject line UNHCR/ILO/GIZ/ FCA TVET REVIEW
More information about the Partners:
https://www.kirkonulkomaanapu.fi/en/work/education/
https://www.unhcr.org/what-we-do/build-better-futures/education/tertiary-education/technical-and-vocational-education-and
https://www.ilo.org/global/industries-and-sectors/education/lang--en/index.htm
https://www.giz.de/expertise/html/60014.html
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